BUFFON’S HYPOTHESIS (1745)

Georges de Buffon, a French scientist, was the first to give a scientific explanation regarding the origin of the earth in 1745. According to Buffon, a comet came very close to the sun and collided with it due to gravitational pull .

​As a result of this collision, a lot of material was ejected from the sun and got separated from it. The separated matter formed planets and asteroids after condensation due to cooling. The bigger masses became planets and the smaller masses became asteroids. Some of the lighter matter disappeared in the space permanently.

Merits of Buffon's Hypothesis

1. First scientific hypothesis. Buffon’s was the first hypothesis which was based on science. It continued to command respect and attract attention of scientists for about 50 years.
2. Cooling and condensation of the ejected material. Buffon suggested that the planets and asteroids were formed as a result of cooling and condensation of the ejected material. Since the earth’s interior is still very hot, it can be assumed that all the planets were formed as a result of cooling and condensation of the hot material which got separated from the sun due to collision by comet.

Demerits of Buffon's Hypothesis

Although this theory remained almost unchallenged for about 50 years, scientists raised serious objections to its validity in due course of time. Following are the main objections :

1. Collision not possible. Majority of the astronomers believe that the distances between the sun and other heavenly bodies are so large and their orbits are so widely spaced that the collision of a comet with the sun is not possible.
2. Ejection of material from the sun not possible. Even if it is agreed that collision is possible, the colliding comet cannot cause any ejection of material from the sun because comets are composed of small particles and have low density. According to G. Gamow, “The mass of the comets is so small that the comet cannot affect the sun in any way.” In the opinion of B. Levin, the combined mass of comets and asteroids is less than that of the earth and the earth’s mass in its turn is only l/333420th part of the sun. Under such circumstances the comets are of no consequence for the sun.
3. Ejected material cannot form planets. The material ejected from the sun as a result of its collision with the comet must have taken an irregular shape and could not have condensed into spherical planets, satellites and asteroids.
4. Arrangement of planets. Planets of our solar system are arranged in such a way that the bigger planets occupy the middle position and are flanked by smaller planets on either end of the solar system. Buffon’s hypothesis fails to explain this arrangement of the planets.
5. Speed of the planets. The planets are moving with high speed and have large angular momentum1 while the sun from which the planets are supposed to have been born has very low angular momentum. Buffon has not explained as to how a body with low momentum produced a number of bodies with high momentum.